Marc Marquez, Tardozzi Defiant Over Aprilia’s Team Orders
The MotoGP season has reached its decisive moments; at Phillip Island, Marco Bezzecchi was the fastest in free practice. Reigning champion Marc Marquez is third and, as expected, surrounded by Aprilia bikes, which could employ strategies and team orders to hinder number 93 in the race for the world title.
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi, speaking to MotoGP.com, did not seem particularly concerned: “As Marc said, if you’re fast, you don’t need any help,” is the message he wanted to send to Aprilia’s rivals. “They can do whatever they want; we’re just trying to focus on being the fastest on the track. We know our rivals are very strong, but our main goal is to get the best result for Marquez, and that’s all.”
The Catalan rider himself wasn’t intimidated: “All those competitive Aprilias? It was to be expected, but I focused on finding a good feel for the bike, and I found it right from the start.”
“I’m aiming for a Sprint-GP one-two, or at least to come close. The key will be to plan everything and be prepared for any situation, even in wet conditions”.
While Marc Marquez is the only one who has managed to break through Aprilia’s dominance, his brother Alex (Ducati Gresini) leads the group of challengers, with the sixth-fastest time overall, 375 thousandths behind Bezzecchi. Also advancing directly to Q2 was a strong Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech3, +0.407), along with Pedro Acosta (KTM, +0.433), Diogo Moreira (Honda LCR, +0.744), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati VR46, +0.756).
Meanwhile, Johan Zarco (Honda LCR, +0.782), Jack Miller (Yamaha Pramac, +0.823), Brad Binder (KTM, +0.880), Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati, +0.952), Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha, +1.051), Iker Lecuona (Ducati Gresini, +1.065), Franco Morbidelli (Ducati VR46, +1.204), Alex Rins (Yamaha, +1.341), Maverick Viñales (+1.377), and Augusto Fernández (Yamaha Pramac, +2.045). Luca Marini did not take to the track, having arrived at Phillip Island with a fever and muscle aches. His participation on Saturday is still in doubt.
